The art of electronic and fiber optic communications is replete with different kinds of connectors for numerous environments and specialized applications. Connector systems are already designed to resist extreme harsh mechanical and environmental conditions, including high vibration, mechanical and thermal shock, and fluid immersion. Also, these cables must continue to operate under extreme tension loading. It continues to be imperative, however, for new connector designs to maintain the integrity of the electrical cables and optical fibers being connected and to minimize damage in every way possible.
With so many different kinds of connectors available to system installation professionals, it is difficult to ensure that a proper cable intersects an appropriate mate with a convenient connector that also protects the underlying fibers. A problem exists in the field of electrical and fiber optic connectors in that the connectors remain limited in versatility and are not designed with sufficient weatherproof and hazard-proof bodies to protect the conductors therein.
The art of electrical and fiber optic cables also relies particularly on connector accessories that provide proper tensile strength and sturdiness for pulling optical fibers within cables. This is especially true when optical fibers are matched for splicing within a ferrule or other splicing mechanism. Cables that house optical fibers subject to splicing with orating optical fibers from adjoining cables are particularly vulnerable to flawed connection in harsh environments.
One of the problems associated with fiber optic splicing systems is providing a reliable connection point between the cables themselves. By connecting the cables in a sturdy and reliable way, the fiber optic splice is less vulnerable to separation due to outside forces. The cable connection absorbs the brunt of twists, turns, tensile forces, and other stresses so that the fiber optic splice remains intact. Thus, there is a need for an improved mechanism for connecting cables that shield underlying optical fibers, particularly when the optical fibers from the cables will be spliced together with mating optical fibers from adjoining cables. The connection point for the overall cables should provide a mechanism to ensure that the cable splice maintains its integrity regardless of outside forces in any direction on the cables themselves.